Nightmares
by Morganalafay
Summary: Oneshot. A week after her daughter's return, the Queen still dreams about loosing Rapunzel.


_**Okay so I decided to re-edit this as a sort of Christmas gift to the Tangled fandom and myself. The original was written very quickly and I didn't look it over at all. I hope this is better**_

_**Merry Christmas! Feel free to leave a review!**_

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><p>Rapunzel stood on the balcony of the castle that overlooked the kingdom. <em>Her<em> kingdom. It felt like a life time since she had discovered who she truly was. Eugene stood beside her, holding her hand to reassure her that she wasn't alone.

She would always remember the look on the guard's face when he had seen her. The shock, wonder and hope had been enough to completely convince her that she had been right. His eyes had moved between them for a moment before he had taken off into the castle. Maybe he had seen something in Rapunzel's face, or maybe he had simply decided to leave it to the monarchs to decide whether their long lost daughter had finally returned.

Gazing out over the clear blue sea, Rapunzel shivered with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Eugene looked at her and squeezed her hand. 'Hey, what's wrong?'

She swallowed. 'I'm nervous I suppose…I'm worried'. She suddenly realised that she was gripping Eugene's hand so tightly that she was grinding his bones together.

She hastily loosened her grip as he said, wincing slightly, 'of what?'

She glanced up into his deep brown eyes. 'What if I can't convince them that I am the lost princess? I'm sure they've had enough people pretending that they are. And what if it's too late? What if Gothel will always be standing between us? What if we can't have that relationship?'

Eugene sighed. 'Rapunzel…I don't know how they will react on seeing you, but that guard seemed to know who you were…and as for whether its too late…you parents have been releasing thousands of lanterns into the sky for the last seventeen years and from what I have heard of them, they are pretty different from Gothel. As long as you give them a chance, I am sure that you will be a family again'. He reached up a hand and brushed a lock of brown hair out of her face with a smile.

Behind them, the huge wooden doors opened on silent hinges. Taking a deep breath Rapunzel turned to face them, dropping Eugene's hand as she did. This was something she had to face on her own.

The King and Queen stood hesitantly in the shadow of the open door, their faces unsure. For a moment they stood there, gazing at her with expressions of such hope that she felt her throat tighten. It was the Queen who moved forward first, albeit slowly. She looked just the same as she had in the mural in the square. Her bright green eyes, the exact same shade as Rapunzel's own, were fixed on her face. Rapunzel found her feet moving of their own accord as she took a small step forward towards her mother. Her _real _mother.

The Queen moved forward slowly, her eyes flicking over Rapunzel's face, her face expressing both hope and disbelief, as if she thought it was all a dream. When she was close enough that Rapunzel could see the unshed tears in her eyes, she extended a tentative hand and laid it on Rapunzel's cheek. It was a soft touch, so unlike Gothel's that Rapunzel felt something break inside her. Some restraint inside the Queen seemed to break too, for she suddenly let out a small breath, her beautiful face splitting in a smile. Rapunzel felt herself smiling in response. The Queen moved suddenly, the hand on her cheek sliding to the back of her head and her other hand snaked around Rapunzel's waist, pulling into a tight hug. Rapunzel wrapped her own skinny arms around her lost mother and dug her fingers into the fabric of her dress, entwining them in her long silky hair to reassure herself that it was all real. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she felt tears falling on her shoulder and she buried her face in the Queen's shoulder. It was such a different hug from Gothel's. Whereas her captors hands would immediately move to her hair and the hugs were stiff and somehow always missing something, the Queen's hug was soft and gentle, and a little unsure. She held her with one arm around her back and the other around her shoulders, not touching her hair at all, and tightly enough as to make her feel secure and safe yet not overwhelmed.

Rapunzel opened her eyes suddenly and looked up at the King, her father. Her smiled down at her and chuckled deep in his chest before he joined them, wrapping the Queen and her daughter in a tight, secure hug. They sank to the floor with his added weight and Rapunzel found herself enfolded in warmth from all sides. She breathed in the pleasant smell that she associated with books, flowers and spring that hung around her parents. It was somehow familiar.

One of her mother's hands left her and she opened her eyes in a momentary panic. Her mother was extending a hand to Eugene, her expression warm. Eugene smiled charmingly and took the Queen's hand but his face suddenly transformed in surprise as she yanked him into their group hug. Rapunzel smiled and snorted in amusement as Eugene's arms joined the Queen's at her waist. She felt complete, as if some hole in her heart had been filled. She had all she wanted, right here.

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><p>Rapunzel was fast asleep in her bed; the blankets pulled up and tangled around her. Her short hair was wild and her face was peaceful as she dreamed. A shadow fell over her. In the darkness a pair of malevolent eyes surrounded by wrinkles glared down at her. There was a glint of metal as a knife rose in the dark and a blur of silver as it was thrust down. Rapunzel's eyes opened in shock and horror as the knife plunged into her chest.<p>

A pair of identical green eyes flew open as the Queen sat bolt upright in bed, her mouth open in a silent scream. Queen Elena breathed sharply through her nose as she tried to calm her racing heart. _It was just a dream, a dream, she's fine, that woman is dead, its alright._ She pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest, shivering violently, rocking back and forth as her breathing gradually calmed. She glanced at her husband, sleeping peacefully beside her, and debated waking him up. Sometimes she didn't have to. Sometimes she trashed and cried out during her nightmares and would either wake up in his arms or he would hold her as she calmed down. He never seemed to dream of loosing their daughter again though. Perhaps it was that even his unconscious self knew that there was nothing to fear. She sighed and decided not to wake him, knowing that though he wouldn't mind, there wasn't really anything to wake him for.

When Rapunzel had been taken as a baby, Elena would dream of her returning, only to have her disappear again. Sometimes she would dream of finding her dead somewhere in the forest. When Rapunzel actually returned, Elena had thought that those dreams would stop. They had, but now every night she would dream of loosing her again, whether she was murdered or taken again it didn't matter. Sometimes a stranger would do it, sometimes it was the woman who had stolen her from them, and sometimes Elena would be there when it happened, but they occurred every night. She sighed; she would probably wake James tomorrow anyway, so best to let him rest.

She had sat there for several minutes. Then she sighed in frustration and slid her legs out of bed, alighting on the cold floor as she realised that she wasn't going to get any sleep at this rate. She wrapped a dressing gown over her nightdress to protect herself from the night's bitter cold and left the room silently. She had taken to wandering the corridors after a nightmare, and she would always end up at Rapunzel's door to assure herself that it really had just been her imagination.

Elena walked more slowly than usual as she wondered why she kept having those dreams. It wasn't like she was actually afraid of the woman, Gothel, taking her again. Rapunzel had told her parents why Gothel had taken her, why she had kept her locked in a tower for seventeen years and the fact that it was just because she wanted to keep herself young forever really didn't help Elena's opinion of her. Maybe it was that she knew that, without her magic hair, Rapunzel wouldn't be any use to Gothel anyway that brought these nightmares into her dreams.

Elena hugged herself and looked down at her bare feet. The cold from the floor was seeping into her feet, and her toes were gradually turning blue. 'Well that was stupid of me', she mussed, speaking quietly in the vast dark hall.

'What was?' Elena jumped out of her skin. Eugene was standing at a window, in profile to her, not four metres, gazing out of the window at the moon. She hadn't even seen him.

Calming herself for the second time that night she said, 'I forgot to put something on my feet…they're cold'. She joined him at the window. 'Can't sleep?'

He shook his head. 'No, your majesty'

She smiled at him. 'Eugene, how many times must I ask you to call me Elena?'

Eugene smiled that charming smile of his and corrected himself. 'No, Elena. What about you?' He noticed the crease that appeared her eyebrows on her otherwise smooth face. 'What?'

She hugged her arms again. 'I…have nightmares'. She attempted a smile, but it turned out as more of a grimace.

He gave her an encouraging look. 'Of what?' It wasn't hard to guess what they were about though.

'I…dream of…loosing Rapunzel again'. Elena swallowed and looked away from him. She could still feel the pain of loss in her heart, a wound that was only just beginning to heal.

Eugene stared at her for a moment. 'How often?' He suddenly wondered just how many people in this castle were having nightmares, because he knew that the Queen wasn't the only one.

She sighed and looked back at him. 'Every night'.

His expression was sympathetic. 'I suppose that doesn't really surprise me'.

Elena raised her eyebrows, curious. 'Why?'

Eugene paused, wondering whether he should elaborate further. 'Well…Rapunzel also has nightmares…about loosing you and James'. He didn't mention that she dreamed of losing him too.

Elena stared at him. Part of her registered that he had called the King James, though that didn't really surprise her. Once James had gotten past the fact that Eugene was Flynn Rider, which hadn't taken that long really, and Eugene had gotten past the fact that James was the King, they got along quite well. Another part of her also didn't find it that surprising that Rapunzel suffered from nightmares, but she felt ashamed that she hadn't considered the fact. 'Maybe I should go speak to her'.

Eugene smiled. 'I'm sure she would like that'. Eugene got alone quite well with both of Rapunzel's parents. The Queen hadn't really cared that he had been the thief that had stolen her daughter's crown, as she realised quickly that he had brought her back to them, and she had tried quite hard over the last week to get to know him. Rapunzel hadn't told her parents the exact details of what had happened in the tower that day, though she had recounted the rest of her adventures with great enthusiasm for the most. But the King and Queen had gathered managed to glean a lot from those stories. They understood that, before she had died, Gothel had badly hurt Eugene and that Eugene had sacrificed something in order to save their daughter, though they didn't know exactly what. As for the King, once he realised that Eugene wasn't going to steal anything, and once he had heard the basic story of how they had met, had warmed up to him considerably. He had found the part were Rapunzel had hit Eugene over the head with a frying pan highly amusing.

Elena bade Eugene goodnight and walked down the hall towards Rapunzel's room. She was about to round the corner when she turned. 'Eugene, why can't you sleep?'

Eugene hesitated. 'I have dreams too'. He edged backwards slowly; wanting to escape the question that he knew was coming next.

He had made it into the shadows when the Queen called out again, 'of what?' She probably couldn't see his rising discomfort in the dark.

He sighed. 'Among other things…I dream of dying'. With that he slipped quietly into the darkness of the shadows, disappearing from Elena's sight as he did.

Elena stared at the place Eugene had been standing a couple of moments before, her lips parted slightly in surprise as his words echoing through her head. _I dream of dying_. What had he meant exactly?

Elena slowly pushed the door open and poked her head around the door. The slivery moonlight cast pale shadows on the walls and floor, throwing strange shadows on the ceiling. Already in the week she had been here, Rapunzel had covered one whole wall of her room in paintings, most of them showing scenes between her and Eugene and her parents.

There was one that, so far, was the Queen's favourite; it had been painted relatively early on and it depicted the four of them in the moment on the balcony, just after Elena had pulled Eugene into the embrace of the family. Rapunzel had painted them all with their eyes closed and had somehow managed to capture the feelings each of them had felt that day on their faces perfectly. She had taken a long time to paint it and had had taken great care in getting the features of her family just right. It was the Queens favourite because, among other things, she had helped Rapunzel paint it. A faint smile curved her lips as she recalled the occasion.

_Rapunzel gripped Elena's tightly as she dragged the Queen into her room. She pulled Elena into the middle of the room and raised her hands. 'Stay right there'. The Queen smiled as Rapunzel ran over to the half painted murel on the wall and took up her paint brush. After staring that Elena intently for a moment, Rapunzel carefully adjusted a few things on the part of the painting that depicted Elena's face._

_After several minutes, Elena realised that Rapunzel, having moved onto painting James, had completely forgotten she was there. Her expression was serene and peaceful, a calm settling on her shoulders. Elena knew that feelings well, as she painted often herself. It was a way of distracting herself from the duties a Queen was expected to perform. Quietly, not wishing to disturb her daughter, Elena moved to stand behind her, content with watching the young woman paint._

_After a distinct pause, Elena realised that there was something off about the picture. 'If I was remembering correctly, you were smiling'._

_Rapunzel jumped, startled out of her trance, and stared at her nervously, as if expecting to be reproved. Then she looked back at the painting, examining her face critically. 'Oh I see. I've painted it so that I look sad'. She looked at Elena out of the corner of her eye. 'Do you paint?' Her tone was hopeful, yet it was clear by her expression that she was expecting a negative. _

_Elena nodded and Rapunzel's eyes widened. 'as often as I can'._

_Rapunzel looked at her brush, bitting her lip, feeling conflicted. Then she thrust it out to her hastily. 'Do you want to fix it?'_

_She sounded so hopeful that Elena immediately took the brush. She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes at the painting, before she expertly changed the shape of Rapunzel's lips. _

_Rapunzel gasped in shock. Gothel had never painted, nor had she really paid that much attention to Rapunzel's own paintings. So it came as something of a shock to find that her real mother could paint, and enjoyed it. Elena caught sight of Rapunzel's expression and smiled gently. 'your paintings are very beautiful Rapunzel, but you need to have more confidence in your abilities. You're a very talented and beautiful young lady'._

_To her surprise, tears had appeared in Rapunzel's eyes. Gothel had never called her paintings beautiful. She had rarely even commented on them. She hadn't ever called Rapunzel beautiful either, and certainly never talented. Rapunzel threw herself at the Queen, hugging her tightly and willing her eyes to remain dry. Elena immediately hugged her back, slightly confused as to Rapunzel's reaction, but understanding that the girl needed to be comforted. After a moment, Rapunzel drew away and looked at the floor shyly. 'Would you paint with me? Please?'_

_And they had painted. They had painted for hours, moving on to a different picture when one was complete. By the time the King and Eugene had come looking for them, it was incrediably late and they were both exhausted, yet happy, and covered in paint._

The Queen moved slowly into the room and then stopped when she saw the empty bed, the thrown back covers and the tangled sheets. Her heart kicked into overdrive at the sight and in the silence the frantic beating seemed far to loud. She gripped the door for balance and breathed deeply. Then she noticed that Rapunzel's dressing gown was missing from the chair that she usually kept it thrown over. That reassured her; if something had happened to Rapunzel, her dressing gown would most likely still be there. She remembered Eugene's words and her heartbeat gradually calmed. Rapunzel had probably gone to find Eugene or Pascal or comfort.. That thought fresh in her mind, she closed the door behind her and left the room.

She walked back through the halls, making her way towards the room she shared with her husband. Her feet were turning numb now and she sped up as she thought of the warm bed, wondering vaguely whether James had noticed her absence. She was just approaching the door when a faint noise caught her attention. She turned and peered into the darkness that hung like heavy curtains around the edges of the hall. A small thing was crouched in the corner. It was hunched in on itself, knees pulled up to its chest, head buried in its arms. It was making very pitiful sounds of distress. Elena would recognise that mop of short brown hair anywhere. 'Rapunzel?'

The small sounds of distress stopped and Rapunzel lifted her head. Her face was wet with tears and her eyes were blood shot. She leapt to her feet and threw herself at the Queen. 'Mother!'

Elena stumbled slightly but wrapped her arms instinctively around her daughter as Rapunzel buried her face in her shoulder and sobbed. Sinking slowly to the floor, Elena pulled Rapunzel onto her lap and made soft soothing noises, holding her tightly and rubbing slow circles on her back. Rapunzel lifted her head and fixed wet eyes on her 'I…' She choked on a sob. 'I went to your room and – you weren't there!' Her voice hitched and Elena gently soothed her again. 'You weren't there'. Her voice was quiet and distressed.

'I couldn't sleep, dear. I was wandering the halls'. Elena spoke softly, wiping some of the tears from Rapunzel's face. 'What made you look?'

Rapunzel swallowed. 'I…had a nightmare. I often do. So I sometimes come here, to make sure you're both there'. Her arms tightened around Elena's waist.

Elena frowned. 'What do you dream about?'

'I…I see you and Dad…and Eugene. I see you dying'. Rapunzel swallowed again. 'I loose you all – every night almost. _She _kills you, because I won't come with her!' She shuddered as the visions rose behind her eyes. She started to cry again, heavying sobs that shook her body violently.

'Shh its alright, its okay, I'm here'. Her mothers soft musical voice soothed Rapunzel and she eventually stopped shaking. Elena moved away slightly and looked down into her face, into her still teary green eyes, so like her own. 'I'm not going anywhere. I promise'.

Rapunzel nodded and tried to pull herself together, knowing that she was just being silly. It was true that Gothel haunted her dreams; she dreamed of clutching bony hands, angry eyes, and harsh cries of anger, Eugene falling to a sharp blade again. Her parent's deaths were entirely from her imagination, as she had never actually seen it happen, so they were usually far more vivid and gruesome, which was why they usually sent her into a nervous wreak. She hadn't told anyone either, well except for Eugene, because she had never shared them with Gothel. She had been afraid that Gothel would make a joke out of them, or worse, call her adorable. She hated being called adorable almost as much as she hated being called cute. It made her feel like a child.

Elena rocked her back and forth. 'Come on, its late, and I think its safe to say that we have both lost the feeling in our feet'.

Rapunzel smiled and allowed her mother to help her to her feet. They walked in silence back to Rapunzel's room, Rapunzel gripping Elena's hand the whole way. Rapunzel climbed into bed and Elena tucked the blankets around her securely. She leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, before turning to leave. Rapunzel's hand shot out and grabbed the Queen's. Elena looked back and Rapunzel said despairingly, 'Please don't leave me'. She didn't want to dream of loosing those she loved again that night, so the childish remark didn't bother her.

Elena smiled, mentally cursing Gothel for the pain she had caused Rapunzel, and climbed into bed beside her. 'I promised I wouldn't, didn't I?'

Rapunzel snuggled against her mother, breathing in the reassuring smell of flowers and paint that hung around the Queen. 'Mother, how come you never sing?'

Elena was silent for a minute, content with stroking Rapunzel's short hair. 'Eugene told me that Gothel sang to you…I thought that it might bring back memories'.

Rapunzel was gratified that her mother had been so cautious in this. The songs that Gothel had sung didn't inspire that many happy memories, not now that she knew the reason behind the singing. But Gothel and Elena were so completely different. 'She never sung me to sleep…'

And so the Queen sang softly to her daughter, in a high musical voice much like her daughters. She sung like she had when she had been a baby, as she had wanted to everyday since then, until they both sank back into the depths of sleep. For the first time in a long time, they both slept peacefully.

_Fin_

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><p><em><strong>Anyway, i know its the same plot and everything, but i do think its a little better because of the slight grammar changes.<strong>_

_**I have to apologize about the fact that the King once again didn't have any speaking parts, which wasn't at all intended.**_

_**by the way, i know that Rapunzel cries alot in this but I'm not trying to cast her as a weak or anything, i just wanted to show that the nightmare really upset her.**_

_**so please review!**_


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